Clothes steamer



Oct-22', 1929. F, JONES CLOTHES STEAMER I Filed March 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet gvwontov 70006 5 (/0065.

Oct. 22, 1929. F. E. JONES CLOTHES STEAMER Filed March 25, 192'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Franc/L9 E c/0fl65 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES FRANCIS E. JONES, OF ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CLOTHES STEAMER Application filed March .25, 1927. Serial No. 178,188.

The present invention pertains to a novel clothes steamer designed for the purpose of steaming clothing and other fabric articles by the method of passing a current of steam through them.

In prior devices of this type, much diiliculty has been experienced by the passage of moisture-laden or wet steam into the articles under treatment. Steam has not hitherto been successfully used for cleaning silk or silk-lined garments, as it readily spots silk fabric. If an article is not destroyed in this manner, it requires at least a pressing operation to remove the wrinkles produced by the moisture.

The present invention overcomes this difficulty by the use of a suitable filtering device which removes moisture from the steam before the latter penetrates the work. A system is provided for draining the accumulated moisture, and in this connection precaution has been taken to prevent the drainage system from acting as a conduit of steam from one section of the apparatus to another section where it may not be wanted.

The device is made in two separate chambers which divide the working surface into two sections. The steam pipes supplying the two chambers are separately regulated so that steam may be admitted thereto in varying quantities or one chamber may be entirely cut oil from the steam supply while the other chamber remains operative. Both steam supplies are, however, governed by a single control valve which is normally closed. This valve is operated by a pedal or similar memher which the operator actuates in order to adinit steam to the apparatus after the work has been properly adjusted thereon.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following description and the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the device;

Figure 2 is a plan section thereof;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 3-3 and -ii4 respectively of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an end view;

liig. 6 is a section 011 the line 6-6 of Fig. 2, anc

Fig. 7 is a detail longitudinal section of one of the steam sprayer-s.

Figure 8 is a conventional view of the piping system external of the body portion, the steam circulation being indicated in heavy arrows and the condensate return is indicated in dotted arrows;

Figure 9 is an enlarged cross sectional detail of the check valve.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are used to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The device is built upon a pedestal 1 provided with feet 2, and supporting at its upper end a form 3 of any shape suitable for the application of clothing garments thereto. The form is preferably an elongated hollow body lying horizontally and having an enlarged depending end portion a mounted on the upper end of the pedestal 1 and supported thereby in any suitable manner. This portion is rounded so that it may be fitted into the shoulder of a garment for eil ectivcly steaming the shoulder.

The form 3 has a horizontally perforated partition 5 while the top thereof is more finely perforated as indicated by the numeral 6. There is also provided a vertical partition 7 dividing the interior of the form into a. forward chamber 8 and a rear chamber 9.

A steam sprayer and filter of the type shown in Fig. 7 is provided in each compartment beneath the partition 5. Fig. 7 shows a sprayer and filter in the forward compartment 8. This member comprises a tube 10 closed at its ends and formed with perforations 11 in the lowermost part of its wall. The perforated steam supply pipe 12 enters the tube 10 at one end thereof and is substantially coextensive therewith in length. The pipe 12 supplies steam to the tube 10 as will hereinafter be pointed out, and in the annular space between these members is mounted a screen 13 of cylindrical form, the object of the screen is to collect and separate such moisture as may issue from the pipe 12, so that only dry steam will be emitted through the perforations 11. l

The filter and sprayer in the other compartment 9 is of similar construction and is desiglUU nated by the numeral 14. The rear end of this member is bent into an arc 15 of approximately ninety degrees in order that the steam supply pipe 16 thereof may lie vertically.

Steam is supplied to the pipes 12 and 16 from an inlet pipe 17 having two elbows 18 and 19. The pipe 17 has a coupling 20 which receives a line 21 leading from the steam pipe 16 of the rear filter and sprayer 14. Directly adjacent the coupling 20, the pipe 21 contains a checkvalve 22, and above the valve is a spring controlled valve 23 which is normally closed. Beyond the valve 23 is an adjustable valve 24 which determines the quantity of steam permitted to enter the pipe 16. A branch 25 leads from the pipe 21 below the valve 24, to the steam supply pipe 12 of the filter and sprayer in the front compartment 8. This branch is provided with an adjustable valve 26 controlling the supply of steam to the pipe 12. The flow of steam to both valves 24 and 23, is, however, normally shut 01f by the control valve 23.

In order to actuate the valve 23, there is provided a finger 27 fixed to the valve casin g and having pivoted thereto a trip 28 adapted to pressinwardly on the valve stem 29. A. pulley 30 is suspended from the form 3 and is trained by acord 31 attached to the free end of the member 28 and also to a pedal 32 on the floor as shown 1n Fig. 1.

The form also contains a closed circulation pipe 33 having at one end an exterior pipe runs into an external vertical drain pipe 38. For draining the rear compartment 9, a vertical pipe 39 extends upwardly through the bottom thereof and is joined into the drain pipe 38 as shown in Fig. 5. Between the members 38 and 39 is mounted a check valve 40 which prevents steam in the chamher 8 fromjbacking up into the pipe 37 and thence through pipes 38. and 39 to the other chamber 9. The valve acts similarly in preventing stea m in the chamber 9 from flowing through the same piping into the chamber 8.

To the elbow v19 is connected a steam trap 40 from which leads a final drain pipe 41. The pipe 41 is connected to the common outlet ofthe' chamber drain pipes 38 and 39 by a pipe'42 as shown in Figure 1.

In the operation of the device steam is admitted to the pipe 17 through an intake pipe 43 connected, to the upper elbow 18. The check valve 22 prevents the steam from enteringthe pipe 21 except through the circulation pipe 33. Also, the trap 40 prevents the steam from flowing directly to the exhaust end of the system. After flowing through the circulation pipe 33, the steam passes down the pipe 34 and into the pipe 21 at a point below the control valve 23.

The valves 24 and 26 are adjusted to emit any desired quantity of steam into the chambers 8 and 9 as already stated. If steam is wanted in only one of the chambers the valve associated with the other chamber is entirely closed. The garment tobe cleaned is new adjusted on the operative part of the perforated top of the body 3, and the pedal 32 ls depressed to open the valve 23 and permit entry of steam into the form. The steam passes through the apertures 11 of the filter or filters to which it is supplied, and thence through the perforated partition 5 and perforations 6 in the top, whereby only dry steam penetrates the article under treatment.

The condensate formed in the circulation pipe 33 is carried by the current of steam down the pipe 34 and into the pipe 21, whence it flows toward the check valve 22. Although this valve prevents passage of steam therethrough from the coupling 20 to the pipe 21, it is of such construction as to permit water to leak therethrough from the pipe 21 to the drain elbow 19.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described. it will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A steam cleaner comprising a hollow body having apertures in its upper wall, a perforate steam supply pipe adapted to emit steam into said body, a filter sleeved over said pipe throughout the perforate length thereof and adapted to retain moisture, and a tubular casing pipe closed at its ends and enclosing said pipe and filter and provided with apertures in its lower side to direct steam downwardly, whereby moisture is prevented from reaching said apertures.

2. A steam cleaner comprising a hollow body having apertures through its wall, a perforate steam supply pipe adapted to emit steam into said body, a filter sleeve over said pipe and adapted to retain moisture, a tubular casing enclosing said pipe and filter and provided with openings for the escape of: steam, and means for draining the moisture from said body.

3. A steam cleaner comprising a hollow form having a downwardly projecting rounded end portion with an arm extending laterally therefrom and shaped to fit into the shoulder of a garment, and provided with apertures in the upper wall thereof, means for admitting steam into said form, moisture filtering means between said steam admission means and said apertures, and a partition inc lit)

in said form separating said shoulder portion from the remaining portion thereof, where by steam may be admitted to either portion of the form independently of the other and moisture is prevented from reaching said apertures.

4:. A steam cleaner comprising a hollow body formed with a downwardly projecting rounded end portion with an arm extending laterally therefrom and having apertures through its upper Wall, and provided with a transverse partition dividing the same into separate chambers, a steam supply pipe adapted to emit steam into each of said chambers, a filter applied over each of said pipes and adapted to retain moisture, Whereby to prevent moisture from reaching said apertures, a steam circulation pipe extend ing from end to end of said body, drain pipes having a common outlet for draining moisture from each oi said chambers, and means for preventing steam in one of said chambers from entering the other chamber through said drain pipes. I

5. A steam cleaner comprising a hollow body having apertures through its upper Wall, and formed With a garment shoulder engaging end portion, a transverse Wall in said body dividing said body into separate chambers, perforated steam supply pipes provided in said body for said chambers, a moisture filtering screen surounding the perforations of said pipe, and an enclosure around said screen having perforations for the escape of steam into said chambers.-

6. A steam cleaner comprising a body divided into compartments, steam admission means to said compartments, drain pipes leading from said compartments and having a common outlet, one of said drain pipes 6X- tending through one of said compartments and opening into the other, and means for preventing passage of steam through said pipes from one compartment to another.

7. A device of the character described comprising a hollow body having an enlarged depending end portion rounded at its upper side and forming a shoulder portion and an extended tapering arm portion projecting laterally from said shoulder portion, the upper wall of said arm portion and rounded shoulder portion being perforated, means at tached to said depending end portion for supporting said body, a partition in said body intermediate the ends of said arm portion extending transversely thereof and dividing the body into separate chambers, separate means for supplying steam to each of said chambers, and a drain pipe extending with in and longitudinally of the shoulder portion and open through said partition into said chamber in the arm portion to drain water of condensation thereiorm and conduct the same outwardly through the shoulder portion.

8. A device as characterized in claim 7 and further characterized by having a drain pipe 

